Dugu Bo's words left both Cheng Xiao and Dugu Yan momentarily stunned. Perhaps neither of them had expected that the usually reclusive Dugu Bo would speak such inspiring words.
"By the way, is there any way for ordinary people without soul power to become Soul Masters?" Cheng Xiao thought for a moment and asked.
"You want to change these people's fates?" Dugu Bo smiled, praising him: "The idea is good, but it's too unrealistic. If people could train and become Soul Masters without soul power, I'm afraid a large number would refuse."
"Although I dislike the way the Spirit Hall operates, I have to admit that without them, the ordinary people enslaved by the nobles would only increase in number, not decrease."
"Awakening a Martial Soul is a huge expense. For the two major empires, the money isn't the problem, but it's unnecessary. The nobles control most of the wealth in the empire, and even if the emperor tried to oppose them, he couldn't solve the problem fundamentally if they played double games."
"This is why all the world's Soul Masters aspire to join the Spirit Hall. After all, without the Spirit Hall, they wouldn't even have the chance to awaken a Martial Soul."
"As for those Soul Masters with talent who don't join the Spirit Hall, they can only be dealt with by the Hall. With the Spirit Hall's style of operation, any power that isn't under their control will never be allowed to grow to challenge them."
Cheng Xiao took a deep breath. Listening to Dugu Bo, he gained a clearer understanding of the Spirit Hall's methods. Yet he also knew that the current Spirit Hall Emperor was merely a madman trying to destroy the Hall.
He wondered how Bibi Dong felt about this. With countless heroes in the world, given her position, she could have chosen any man—but she ended up with this genius. Indeed, in some respects, the Master was truly exceptional.
At that moment, the clear sound of bells slowly rang out across the auction hall. On the dazzling crystal stage, a white-haired elder appeared, smiling warmly.
"The auction has begun. If you see something you want, don't hesitate—just bid," Dugu Bo said, glancing at Cheng Xiao calmly.
With the elder's appearance, the noisy chatter around gradually subsided.
Countless eager eyes turned to the crystal stage. Those who could enter the auction hall were all wealthy, and for them, not buying rare and exotic items was harder than dying.
After all, the purpose of earning money is to spend it. Now that they had the means to display their wealth, they naturally wouldn't hold back.
"Perhaps you've been waiting impatiently? In that case, I'll skip the pleasantries. The auction is about to begin—prepare yourselves."
The white-haired elder, dressed in luxurious clothes, smiled at the mass of eager faces below, his gaze subtly settling on the few VIP seats in the front row.
As an experienced auctioneer, he knew that only the powerful families and great nobles were the clients willing to spend freely. The so-called wealthy buyers in the back rows were merely showy, shallow spenders.
"Up for auction," the elder clapped his hands and announced loudly.
The next moment, a strong light erupted from the enormous crystal stage. As it gradually faded, a suit of soft armor, entirely blue-gray, appeared on the auction stage.
"This soft armor is named Fu Qing, acquired by a Soul Douluo-level expert through luck. According to our auction hall appraisers, this armor is forged from top-quality materials. Tests show that it can withstand the full strike of a Soul Emperor-level fighter without breaking, though the upper limit is unknown."
"If anyone is interested, don't be stingy with your wealth," the elder smiled. "Starting bid: 30,000 Gold Soul Coins. Begin your bidding."
No sooner had he spoken than several voices immediately responded, bidding. Clearly, soft armor capable of resisting a Soul Emperor's full attack was highly coveted.
Cheng Xiao, looking at the armor quietly placed on the stage, did not even glance up. He had little interest in it.
Now, with his mastery of Shadow Power, he could transform it into weapons or armor if needed. Compared to this soft armor, he preferred relying on his own power.
Of course, Cheng Xiao's lack of interest did not extend to Dugu Yan, who found it appealing. For ordinary Soul Masters, protective armor was very necessary. Even though the upper limit was unknown, the ability to withstand a Soul Emperor-level attack made it worth attention.
Thus, after the white-haired elder's introduction, some were eager to start bidding.
After more than ten minutes of competition, Dugu Bo won the soft armor at 100,000 Gold Soul Coins.
The bidding might have gone higher, but when the bidders saw Dugu Bo, they wisely refrained from pushing the price further. Dugu Bo's reputation was formidable—offending him could spell trouble not just for the armor, but for an entire family.
"Grandpa, do we really have this much money?" Dugu Yan asked worriedly as Dugu Bo secured the armor for her.
"Don't worry, this is nothing for me," Dugu Bo said with a relaxed smile. Having been a Title Douluo for so long, if he couldn't spare 100,000 Gold Soul Coins, it would be laughable.
After all, he had close dealings with Snow Star Prince of the Heavenly Dou Empire. Money was never a problem for him.
With the first auction item successfully sold, the next items on the stage were even more dazzling—various weapons, herbs, treasures, spirit beast eggs, treasure map fragments, and other exotic items. Cheng Xiao, naturally, had no interest in them.
It wasn't until the second-to-last item that a girl of about twelve or thirteen was pushed onto the stage. Though young, her figure was exaggeratedly mature, and her small face was full of timidity.
Seeing the little beauty, the men in the auction hall were instantly stirred. One by one, they bid like gentlemen, raising the price to 200,000, finally slowing. However, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi, ultimately secured her with a high bid of 300,000.
When the attendees realized Ning Fengzhi was present, they were stunned. Today's auction hall truly hid dragons and tigers—not only was Dugu Bo here, but also the powerful sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It was almost surreal.
"Heh, Ning Fengzhi is an old fox, but judging by his action of securing this girl, I suppose he intends to save her out of kindness," Dugu Bo said, stroking his chin with a smile.
Cheng Xiao leaned back in his soft chair, glancing at the men who had nearly secured the girl but failed, showing embarrassment. He quietly waited for the final auction item, hoping it would capture his interest.
If this auction ended without it, it would be too disappointing.
He hoped the final auction item would pique his curiosity.
....
Fully Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Brothers I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! recently Feel free to check it out—if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
" Douluo: Tang San Forbidden Harem (18+) "
" Douluo 2: Martial Soul Wish Tree — Wang Dong Got Addicted (18+) "
" Douluo: Super Sex Slave System (18+) "
" BTTH: Writing Up a Diaries, Xiao Yan Became My Fanboy "
" Douluo 3: Adopting Gu Yuena at the Start "
" BTTH: I, Peerless Poison Pet, Got Picked Up by Little Fairy Doctor "
" BTTH: Elemental God "
" Douluo: Transmigrated as the Second Young Miss of Spirit Hall "
" BTTH: Flame Emperor, Please Restrain Yourself — Your Brother Is Really Just a Simple Man "
" BTTH: I'm Just an Alchemist "
" BTTH: Traveling Through with the Ancestral Talisman"
" Douluo: Ranking the Top Ten Peerless Goddesses at the Start "
" Douluo: Transmigrated as Huo Yuhao "
" Douluo 2: I, Huo Yuhao, Refuse to Be Tang San's Son-in-Law "
many more up to 130+ are available.
Your support means a lot—thanks in advance, legends!
Patreon.com/UIGOD
(End of Chapter)